Cotton-cleaner.



T. W. FELTON.

COTTON CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.18,1908.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

muanfoz- 19N711 use a ti rr a THOMAS W. FELTO'N, OF SAN GABRIEL, TEXAS.

COTTON-CLEANER.

ceases.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

Application filed December 18, 1908. Serial No. 468,211.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS VV. FELTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Gabriel, in the county of Milam and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful CottonGleaner, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has relation to cotton cleaners and it consists in thenovel construc tion and arrangement of its parts as hereinafter shownand described.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus the parts ofwhich are so arranged as to effectually and economically remove grit,leaves and other trash from the cotton at the time that it isdistributed for ginning.

WVith this object in view, the cleaner embodies a conveyor trunk throughwhich an air suction is created. A screen is located within said trunkand is provided with an intermediate horizontal section and inclined endsections. Trash receptacles are connected with a horizontal distributorflight provided in said trunk and the said recep' tacles are covered attheir tops by screens and are closed at their sides and bottoms. Feederchutes are located between the said receptacles and are adapted toreceive the cotton. Feeder rolls are journaled in the lower portion ofeach of said feeder chutes and the lower portion of each chutecommunicates with a gin. A well is located below the gin and is coveredby a perforated plate or screen. The said plate or screen is adapted toseparate trash from the cotton which passes through the gin, and meansis provided for removing the cotton from the last said screen or plate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of theinvention with parts in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view of amodified structure which might be used in the apparatus.

The apparatus consists of a trunk which includes a vertical flight 1 anda horizontal distributor flight 2. Means (not shown) for creating asuction draft through the said trunk is connected with the horizontaldistributor flight 2. Said means may be a fan or suction pump or itsequivalent. A screen 3 is located in the horizontal flight 2 of theconveyor trunk and is provided with an intermediate substantiallyhorizontal section 4 which is spaced from the top of the flight 2 andthe inclined end sections 5 the forward i one of which extends to thetop of the flight 2. Trash receptacles 6 are located under the screen 3and communicate at their upper ends with the interior of the horizontalflight 2. The sides and bottoms of the said receptacles are closed sothat the said receptacles form what is termed dead air spaces, or spacesin which the contained air is not in motion. Screens 7 are located overthe upper ends of the receptacles 6. Feeder chutes 8 are arrangedalternately between the receptacles ,6 and communicate at their upperends with the interior of the horizontal flight 2. The upper ends of thesaid feeder chute 8 are also located under the screen 3. Rotary feederrolls 9 are located in the lower portions of the chutes 8 and the lowerportions of the chutes communicate with gins in the usual manner. A well10 is located under the outlets of the gins and a screen 11 is locatedover the top of the said well. A trunk 12 communicates with the spacebetween the top of the well 10 and the lower ends of the gins and maylead to a cotton press (not shown). The horizontal flight 2 of the windtrunk is provided with a valve 13 which is located behind the finalchute 8. Inclined sections 15 are located in the flight 2 at pointsabove the feeder chutes 8 and obstruct the passage through the flights 2at such points. The rear section 5 of the screen 3 joins with theforward edge of the final section 15 of the series of sections 15.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: A suction draft is createdthrough the flights 1 and 2 of the trunk and the cotton containing theleaves and sticks is drawn up through the flight 1 into the horizontalflight 2. As the cotton strikes the first inclined section 5 of thescreen 3 the cotton is deflected downward toward the first chute 8,while much of the sand, grit, leaves, etc., will pass through the firstsection 5 of the screen 3 into the body of the flight 2 lying behind thefinal chute 8. At the same time sticks, leaves and heavier foreignmatter will fall upon the screen 7 of the initial receptacle 6, and asthe air contained within the said receptacle is quiescent the saidmaterial will fall through into the receptacle and remain there.Substantially the same operation is performed throughout the entireseries of chutes 8 and receptacles 6. The seed cotton as it passes fromthe first inclined section 5 toward the last said section of the screen3 brushes or wipes along the under side of the screen and hence grit andother objectionable matter that is held by the fiber is loosened andeventually separated from the same and passes either through one of thescreens 7 or follows the draft of air through the screen 3 and thehorizontal flight of the wind trunk. The inclined sections 15 which lieover the upper ends of said chutes 8 afford means for preventing thedraft of air which is passing through the flight 2 from having atendency to suck the cotton up out of the chutes 8 The cotton that fallsinto the lower portions of the chutes 8 is operated upon by the rolls 9and fed to the gins in the usual manner. From the gins the cotton entersthe trunk 12. Suction draft is created through the trunk 12 and thecotton which falls upon the screen 11 is drawn out through the saidtrunk 12, while any remaining grit which the cotton may contain fallsdown through the said screen 11 into the well 10 where it remains untilremoved at the time the apparatus is cleaned.

Having described the invention, What I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

A cotton cleaner comprising a distributing trunk, spaced feeder chutesconnected with said trunk, a trash receptacle located in advance of eachfeeder chute and connected with said trunk, a screen located over eachtrash receptacle, an inclined section located over each feeder chute andobstructing the passage through the trunk at points above the feederchute, said inclined sections extending from the rear edges of thefeeder chutes and disposed toward the trash receptacle, a screen locatedin the upper portion of the feeder chute and extending from the initialtrash receptacle t0 the final chute, said screen being spaced from theupper side of the trunk and having at its forward end an inclinedsection which extends to the upper side of the trunk and at its rear endan inclined section which joins with the forward edge of the finalinclined section of the series of inclined sections located over thefeeder chutes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afliXedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

THOS. W. FELTON. l/Vitnesses:

F. M. AMAsoN, HOWARD AMAsoN.

